Evelyne wrinkled her nose. “Oh dear.”
Oh dear, indeed.
Chapter Twelve
ALEXANDRE HAD TROUBLEconcentrating on what still must be done because his mind was focused on revolution, onprotection. But there were still the day-to-day responsibilities of running a kingdom, and Gabriel thought it best as if they went on like they weren’t aware of anywhispers, so Alexandre had to be in his office, acting normal.
Alexandre agreed with this plan, but it didn’t make his dayeasy. Particularly when only a few hours after Gabriel had swept into his office unannounced and, against his assistant’s wishes, Evelyne did the same.
“You and your husband seem to think my office is yours to enter and exit as you please,” Alex said, waving his assistant off, because he would not kick Evelyne out no matter how much he wanted to.
Thatwas the purview of his father, and Alexandre was a better man—even when his sister was being ridiculous.
Evelyne rolled her eyes. “You must go talk to Ines.”
He turned away from her to the papers on his desk. It was not a shock Evelyne would stick her nose where it didn’t belong, but he had no time or patience for it. “Why would I do that?”
“She’s on the fence about leaving with me and Gabri. You need to talk to her, convince her she should.”
“On the fence?” Of course. Why would Ines just make thingseasy? He couldn’t understand what hadhappenedto her. Nearly a year of obedience and—
He went a little cold at the word.Obediencefelt…ugly. He didn’t want her to beobedientnecessarily. Just…easy. Just… She shouldunderstandhis bidding and do it without it feeling like orders against her will, because he was doing therightthing. They should go back to the way things were when she always agreed with him, always understood he made good decisions.
Which was clearly a lie.He frowned at that realization. It wasn’t that she’d changed. She’d just stopped pretending. Why had she pretended in the first place, though? Evelyne never did.
Because Evelyne knows she’s safe with you, no matter what, and Ines had to learn that.
He didn’t know where that thought came from. He wanted to reject it. But the conversation with Ines about when they’d first met, about how she’d come to believe he wasgood, was all too close to wave it away as easily as he might have.
He looked up at his sister, bowled over by the thought that…he had always tried to protect her and felt he’d always failed, because it hadn’t been enough. She’d been abused anyway.
But was the simple act of trying enough?
Ridiculous.
“I am busy, Evelyne.” And in a terrible, knotted pain that made it hard to get a full breath. But he kept his voice devoid of that. Detached. Cold. “Tell her to be reasonable.”
“If there’s anyone I shall tell to be reasonable, brother, it isyou.”
He glared at his sister, but he recognized that look in her eye. Stubborn. Period. He was in no mood for the stubborn whims of his little sister. Particularly if just her existence brought on startling realizations he didn’t want.
“I have a revolution to stop, if you haven’t heard. Perhaps the two of you could concern yourselves withthat.”
“You have a wife who loves you. I cannot begin to fathom how you’ve made a problem out ofthat.”
Alexandre stiffened in spite of himself. What had Ines told her? Why was she bringing other people into it? “That is not your concern.”
“MyGod, Alex. Be a man.”
He straightened, temper stirring when he almost never let it stir with Evelyne because it was too much like Enzo. Butthiswas a step too far, even for her. “I am a king,” he reminded her. “Yourking.”
There was no room for amanin that equation. He’d learned that as achild. How had she not?
She looked wholly unimpressed by that. “You’re an ass.”
He stared at her in shock. Not that she was never rude to him, but it had been quite some time, and usually she wasn’t taking someone else’s side when she did it.
“An ass,” she continued, using that offensive word once again, “who mustaskhis wife and the mother of his future child himself if he wishes her to leave him so he can fight a revolution alone,” she continued, clearly not backing down.
